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Oak Regeneration: Competing species in the white oak range are shading out young white oaks thus preventing regeneration, resulting in a non-sustainable demographic dominated by older trees. Dr. Jeff Larkin is a professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at IUP, as well as the Forest Bird Habitat Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy. He says: it's just as important for landowners and forest managers to 'look down' as it is to 'look up' when it comes to oak forest management and stewardship. These photos, taken by Dr. Larkin, demonstrate white oak regeneration within the forest understory.

Capture of GWWA on Nonbreeding Grounds: While studying migratory birds on their Costa Rican wintering grounds in March 2017, associates at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) were able to add some important data to the understanding of Golden-wing Warbler biology. RTPI affiliate Sean Graesser, who was working in a remote rainforest reserve in northeastern Costa Rica with other RTPI staff on a tropical biology course for high school students, captured a gorgeous male Golden-winged Warbler. When he extracted it from the net to collect data and band it, he realized that this bird already had a uniquely numbered band on its leg – a band that Sean had put there himself a year ago! Since the bird was last seen in March of 2016, it had flown to North America – likely somewhere in that upper Great Lakes Region area, possibly nested and raised young against all odds, and returned to Costa Rica to overwinter. This bird looked healthy as could be and was getting ready to make the same trek again – possibly travelling as far as 6,000 miles each year between its breeding and wintering grounds.

Birds of a Feather on Working Lands: Storyboard discusses similarities between habitat needs of the Eastern golden-winged warbler and Western sage grouse, both bird species with declining populations due to habitat loss in working landscapes - but benefiting from NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife intervention.

Managing for Healthy, Diverse Forests: How to manage for both wildlife habitat and timber value in Eastern forests by conducting responsible forest harvests that take the longer-term view instead of quick cash-outs. Up to 80% of the forests in Eastern States have experienced repeated "high-grade" or "diameter-limit" harvests that remove only the most valuable trees during each harvest, diminishing forest economics in the region and depleting wildlife.

Thinning Forests to Save the Birds: An interesting and informative 8-minute video that explains how tree harvests are critical to saving a host of bird species that rely on young forest habitat for part of their annual life cycle.

Fact Sheets

Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone of Canada: The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone comprises the contact zone between the prairie parkland and the greater boreal ecosystems (Figure 1). Whereas the prairie biome is dominated by grasses and the boreal biome by coniferous tree species and mixed woods, the Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is dominated by deciduous trees, especially Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), in complex mosaics with grassland and wetlands. The Aspen Parkland Transition Zone is the only remaining large area within the Golden-winged Warbler range where Blue-winged Warbler does not occur. Thus, maintaining healthy populations of Golden-winged Warbler in this area is critical.

Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Shrub Wetlands of the Great Lakes: Shrub wetlands are extensive in the region, particularly in the western Great Lakes. Not all shrub wetlands are occupied by Golden-winged Warbler for a variety of reasons including high water levels, lack of desired woody and herbaceous vegetation patchiness, lack of scattered canopy trees, and distance to upland deciduous forest. Dense mature stands of unbroken woody shrub cover over large areas often are unsuitable. Reduced flooding and beaver activity may be partially responsible for these conditions and restoration of these natural disturbance regimes could improve habitat quality. In other cases, mechanical treatments provide the mechanism for creating or restoring breeding habitat (Figure 1) and are the focus of the included guidelines. For this insert, shrub wetlands are defined as palustrine wetlands dominated by broad-leaved deciduous woody vegetation less than 20 feet tall. The species include true shrubs, young trees, and scattered trees of varying size. See Table 1 for common dominant shrub and tree species.

Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Abandoned Farmlands in the Great Lakes: Since the early 20th century, abandoned farmland has become an important component of the Great Lakes landscape. When crop and pasture lands become inactive, they begin succeeding into their pre-agricultural state, which is often deciduous forest. The span of time from field to forest takes decades, during which there is a period of years where the ratio of herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, and young trees on a given site can potentially create habitat for breeding Golden-winged Warblers (Figure 1). Without active management, this is a temporary condition that typically persists for less than a decade. Throughout the region there is an excellent opportunity, especially on private lands, to create habitat for Golden-winged Warbler on abandoned farmlands. Perhaps the best opportunities exist on poorly drained soils that are too wet for pasture or crops.

Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat on Utility Rights-of-way in the Great Lakes: Utility ROWs consist of long, linear corridors that are often managed in a way that can provide habitat for Golden-winged Warbler and other shrubland birds. Many landscapes within the Great Lakes region are traversed by extensive and growing networks of electric transmission lines and gas pipelines (Figure 1), and in some of these the utility corridors are the principal sites of extensive shrubland habitat. Only a small proportion of these utility ROWs are managed for Golden-winged Warbler; therefore, substantial opportunities exist to benefit this species while still meeting the vegetation management goals of utility companies and working within acceptable budgets.

Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitat in Deciduous Forests of the Great Lakes: This supplement for Deciduous Forests accompanies Best Management Practices for Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great Lakes Region, which includes general information that applies to all habitat types in this area. Users should refer to both documents to develop a comprehensive management strategy for Golden-winged Warbler. The following are guidelines and not absolute rules for the creation of breeding habitat, thus prescriptions that fall outside the numerical ranges presented can provide habitat, too. Consult a Golden-winged Warbler or young forest habitat expert for assistance in tailoring a management plan to your property, and, if available, follow forest management guidelines for your state or province. Historically, young forest in this region was generated by natural disturbances such as wind, ice, insect outbreaks, flooding, beaver activity, and fire. Today, much habitat is created through commercial management of deciduous forests, which is the focus of this habitat guide. Deciduous forest management opportunities exist throughout the Great Lakes on public, private, and tribal lands.

Best Management Practices For Golden-winged Warbler Habitats in the Great Lakes Region: A Guide for Land Managers and Landowners: This guide is intended to provide land managers and landowners with regional, habitat-specific strategies and techniques to begin developing and restoring habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. This document includes general information that applies to all habitat types in the Great Lakes region and should be used along with supplemental documents dedicated to the management of specific regional habitat types (deciduous forests, aspen parkland transition zone, abandoned farmlands, utility rights-of-way, forest and shrub wetlands) most important to Golden-winged Warblers.

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